Squilla

Could you also use Helm of White Void on Bleak walker for even more acc, since I think FOD applies an affliction (Sickened)? You're correct. Helm of the White Void is insanely good on a variety of classes. I didn't even think about FoD - I was already going to use this helm for the ACC bonus anyway for Cipher stuff, it just got even juicier.

Agreed, this broke my playthrough that was largely based on your Citzal's Lance write up from a while ago on all the effects that Citzal's worked with for the martial classes. I had started out Fighter (Devoted) / Bloodmage and got to about level 10 before realizing. Was able to salvage by respec'ing via the Unity console to a Monk, so turned the MC into a Sage and had a blast still. Would like to see this fixed overall for the AoE weps.

Arcane Archer didn't have the correct power level scaling on the imbue attacks - which impacted penetration at least, not sure which other variables.

Yeah - I really like the FoD for the paladin, crazy accuracy and I was going to build up to the huge power level scaling from those 2 weapons. I forgot about the Starcat! This current build is a Bleak Walker / Soulblade, but not sure I'm going to stick to it just yet, I picked a tough combination of God Challenges. I also forgot about low level abilities getting a PL scaling effect as you move up - goes really well with just picking a few abilities from Paladin (mostly defensive) and focusing on the Cipher side of the house. There are some great ideas in this thread, I'm basically still stuck on square one haha

I don't usually play the deception route, but I do like the idea of it all fitting thematically together, appeals to the RP side. How effective / easy is it to keep the streetfighter +50/-50 bonus up consistently, I've never used the subclass but it seems to be a preferred choice for many builds. I'm just never certain how well I'd be able to keep that buff going. The synergy with Sun & Moon sounds fund, coupled with all of the great abilities for rogues that I could utilize well with my surplus guile from brilliant.

So no subclass Cipher paired with Nalpazca or Helwalker? I would think a soulblade or Ascendent is better over nosub. I love the monk class overall, but I may have just played it too many times at this point. It is super potent though. What makes it superior than others at tackling megabosses? And I think I'll have the resource generation on point with a brilliant bot secondary single class Cipher - early game will just be rough.

I am trying to put together a build for my Watcher that would be a Multiclass Cipher - just not sure what to do on the multiclass piece (and even the Cipher subclass). I'm using a mod that would open up PL 8/9 abilities just for my Watcher while multiclassed, but at a slower rate than single class. I want to take advantage of the Cipher's self buffs, like borrowed instinct, while also having utility with casting spells. I will also have a single class Cipher in the group to utilize driving echoes, pain block, and ancenstor's memory (for brilliant spam) as applicable. I typically gravitate towards melee powerhouses on my MC, but I'm open to new ideas on how to tackle encounters. I have started several playthroughs and so far the one that has held my interest through early game is an Inquisitor, however this will be a thorough playthrough so I expect to be high level for a good chunk of it - Paladins kind of fall of on higher level abilities compared to other martials. Ancestor's memory (brilliant) abuse with any caster seems like a fun combo at high level, getting multiple PL8/9 casts in an encounter (if they even last that long). But I'm not sure how a priest / wizard would be for focus generation (Soul Mind focus interrupt seems tedious on hit). And I'm not sure I would like the flavor of Druid for this run. A melee wizard for focus generation would be nice, but I just did a Wizard/Monk playthrough (Sage) that was all about that melee synergy. I usually build my party to be tanky and support, while I micro the MC and do primary damage. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated!

This is very cool - it’s great adding mods like this in subsequent playthroughs, keeps things fresh

A fort debuff bleak walking Eder sounds really fun. I messed around quite a bit with Maia (even making her not a ranger at all) and I can't remember what happened to Ishiza. I'll test that out for you.

I will have to give the priest mod a go with Xoti - that sounds like a ton of fun. And I've never played with Rekke, Konstanten or Ydwin, do they have good banter in the party and hold their own in a fight?

If you get the Unity console you can just change Aloths classes to Steel Garrote Paladin and add a subclass to his existing Wizard class. It's a respec and then you start adding abilities through the normal level up process. The core paladin abilities and blood mage abilities get added, and you won't have to remove any previous class abilities unless he was a multi-class fighter.

can you make it so that Eder is a herald through unity? Yeah, what Ophi said - it's a piece of cake to add and subtract abilities too. Once you are familiar with the unity console it really opens things up.

I don't enjoy hiring from the Inn to make party members, instead I like to respec the main story companions and side-kicks to keep it more interesting and successive playthroughs fresh. Has anyone else done this? And if so, what are some fun builds for some of your favorite companions that you've enjoyed? Honestly just looking for inspiration on fun or interesting builds that pair well with companions - bonus points if it sort of meshes with their personality.

Thank you! I will dig into this more when I'm back from work, appreciate the insight.

I wanted to add to this that I am also experiencing this issue exactly as Thaum describes it